Current status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 10 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to make the legal process of getting married more equitable.
In addition to making it possible for same sex couples to marry, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 made some changes to marriage procedures. These changes included putting belief celebrants on an equal footing with religious celebrants and making provision so that civil marriage ceremonies can take place anywhere, other than in religious premises, agreed by the couple and the registrar.
We have no plans to review the procedures for getting married but we plan to consult in the next few months on whether the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership should be raised to 18 from 16.
The member is welcome to raise any specific concerns regarding the legal process of getting married with me in writing.